There is no shortage of Hungarians’ favourite Easter dish, but the price is brutal

Hungarians’ favourite Easter dish, ham, will be in abundance in the shops. But the price will be extremely high, as the meat sector is struggling.

Easter ham

If it’s Easter in Hungary, it’s ham on the table. Real wages have been dropping in Hungary for four months now, so the purchasing value of wages is falling. With lower wages come higher food prices. Hungary has the highest overall inflation in Europe. According to the Central Statistical Office, general food inflation in Hungary has been above 40 percent in each of the last five months.

“There will be ham on the shelves, and our member companies are looking forward to the festive season,” Martina Mostisch, executive secretary of the Hungarian Meat Producers’ Association, told Index. On average, different ham products could cost 35-40 percent more this year than last year. “It’s ‘only’ 40 percent because traders are calculating a smaller margin to avoid even more deterrent prices. If the entire increase in purchase prices were passed on to consumers, we could see a 50-60 percent increase in the price of meat products at Easter in shops,” said Katalin Neubauer, secretary general of the Hungarian National Trade Association.